


The Let's go save our Hacker Job

by SuchASeeweedBrain



Series: RNM Leverage AU [2]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Jesse Manes gets punched in the face, Leverage AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 13:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18550924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuchASeeweedBrain/pseuds/SuchASeeweedBrain
Summary: Michael get's worried when Alex doesn't bring him coffee. Kyle is a good friend. Maria contemplates murder. Liz does her best to keep them all in check. And Alex? He just wants to go home.Also known asJesse Manes is a piece of shit that puts Alex in danger, the team comes to his rescue.





	The Let's go save our Hacker Job

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wrote a part 2? Yeah. I feel like this gets hella confusing at some point, but I had my sister read it and she said she understood what was happening, so I'm just gonna post this now. 
> 
> Thank you so much for your wonderful reactions to part one of this. It makes me so happy to see that there's still so many people out there that love Leverage! Thank you to, Fic_bookworm0003 for giving me the idea for this sequal!

‘Has anyone heard from Alex today?’ Michael asked. He’d been trying not to get progressively more worried, but it was proving to be a challenge.

‘No, haven’t you seen him today? I thought you two were joined at the hip now?’ Kyle frowned, Michael flipped him off.

‘If I’d seen him today, I wouldn’t be asking, now would I?’ Michael snapped. ‘And we’re not joined at the hip.’

‘Right.’ Kyle dragged out the word with a confused frown on his face.

‘What exactly has you worried? We said we were taking the day off today.’ Maria asked, looking genuinely concerned as she leant against the counter.

‘And yet we’re all here except Alex.’ Michael said. Maybe they were all just too obsessed with their work, but if anyone was going to be here, even when he didn’t have to be, it was Alex. He always went above and beyond. ‘He stayed behind late yesterday to work on finding out who was trying to find us online and he told me he’d drop by my place in the morning with coffee. When he didn’t show I figured he’d still be here. Maybe he fell asleep.’

‘But he’s not here.’ Maria added, concern now leaking into her voice as well.

‘Have you tried calling him?’ Kyle asked, there really was nothing wrong with his tone, and objectively Michael knew that, but-

‘Yes of course I’ve tried calling him Valenti.’ Michael snapped. ‘He doesn’t answer.’

‘But it doesn’t go straight to voicemail?’ Maria asked, setting a hand on Kyle’s shoulder in a comforting gesture.

‘No.’

‘So it’s not turned off. Hasn’t he taught us how to track a phone?’ Maria asked, looking at Michael hopefully. After Alex, he was the best with technology.

‘Should we maybe ask Liz first? Maybe she’s heard from him, or maybe she send him to do some recon?’ Kyle suggested, and it wasn’t a terrible idea per se.

‘Liz!’ Maria called out towards Liz’ office.

‘Yeah?’ Liz called back, her voice dampened by the door between them.

‘Have you heard from Alex since last night?’ Maria asked, there was a silence and then the door opened. Liz came from the office looking worried.

‘No.’ She said slowly. ‘Do we not know where he is?’

‘No, he’s not answering my phone calls and I haven’t seen him since last night.’ Michael answered.

‘Track his phone.’ Liz ordered immediately. She left her office and came to stand behind the big table, crossing her arms over her chest.

Michael made his way over to Alex’s computer. He logged in with the account Alex had made for him and used what Alex had taught him to pull up the tracking system. He filled in Alex’s number at the correct spot and the program started doing it’s thing. They had to wait for a few seconds in tense silence. This was completely unlike Alex and they all realized it.

‘Okay, it’s got something.’ Michael said as the computer beeped at him. ‘His phone is downtown.’ Michael looked closer and frowned. ‘In the Rodgers building.’

‘The Rodgers building?’ Kyle asked with raised eyebrows. ‘The most secure building on this side of the Rocky’s?’

‘Yeah.’ Michael breathed out. ‘What the hell are you doing there Alex?’

‘Call him again.’ Liz ordered. Michael had learned to just do what Liz said when she got like this. So he pulled out his phone, and dialled Alex’s number. It rang and then went to voicemail, just like before. Michael shook his head at Liz. ‘Text him. Tell him that if he’s in trouble he should text us an SOS.’

 _Alex, if you’re in trouble, please send us an SOS and we’ll come get you._ Michael hit send before he could rethink it. He didn’t want to think about how he was wording it, he just wanted to know if he was okay. Michael put his phone down on the conference table. They all stood in silence as they waited for the phone to go off.

‘If he doesn’t answer, we’re going there right?’ Kyle broke the silence after maybe thirty seconds. Sometimes Michael forgot that Kyle and Alex had known each other for a long time, and that they had been close since they were kids.

‘Yes.’ Liz said. Before Michael could ask how long they were supposed to wait, his phone buzzed and his heart sank.

_SOS_

‘I’m driving.’ Michael was up immediately.

‘No you’re not.’ Liz said firmly, snatching the keys of the SUV away before Michael could get to them. ‘Kyle is driving.’ She threw the keys at Kyle who caught them easily and was immediately on his way to the door.

Michael tried not to start hyperventilating as they rushed down to the car. His mind was running wild with all sorts of theories. Alex was capable, there was no doubt about that, Michael had seen him fight and he knew how to use his fists. But Alex was also one of the most kind-hearted people Michael had ever met. He always wanted to help people whenever he could. And if someone had used that against him, there were all sorts of situations Alex could have gotten into.

There was an incredibly tense silence in the car, for the full 20 minutes it took them to get there. Kyle, admittedly, drove the car with a cool, collected grace that Michael was sure he would not have been able to. He pushed the car wherever he could, but he also made sure not to crash them into a ditch. If Michael hadn’t been freaking out so much, he would have been impressed. Maria sat in the front seat next to Kyle with a stoic look on her face, Michael knew that look. It was her look that said she’d gladly talk anyone in her way into jumping off a bridge. Liz was staring out of the window with a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes. Michael could almost _feel_ her thinking, running through every possible scenario. Figuring out at least a dozen ways to destroy whoever had put Alex in danger.

Kyle pulled the SUV into a parking spot near the Rodgers building and Michael found himself staring at it like it had personally offended him. Michael was just about to ask why the hell they were still in the car when he saw someone standing on the sidewalk that made his heart stutter and his stomach clench.

‘What the fuck?’ He whispered. Kyle seemed to follow Michael’s line of sight and swore under his breath.

‘Is that Jesse Manes?’ He asked, his shoulders immediately tensed up in the way they only did when he was about to punch someone.

‘Jesse Manes? Alex’s father?’ Liz asked, leaning over between the front seats to get a better look. ‘That son of a bitch.’

‘I’m going to kill him.’ Michael said before reaching for the door handle.

‘No. Hold on.’ Liz snapped her hand out and her nails dug into Michael’s arm as she held onto him.

‘Liz, if he put Alex in danger…’ Michael trailed off. She looked at him with a sharp look on her face.

‘I know that Michael.’ She said. ‘Kyle, come with me, we’ll go talk to him. You two, stay here.’ She said firmly. Michael wanted to argue, but Liz raised her hand at him to stop him. ‘Text Alex again, tell him we’re here. Ask what we can do to help him.’ Michael felt like his blood was racing through his system at twice the speed it normally did, but he listened to Liz. The doors slammed shut and Michael heard the soft click of the earbuds being turned on.

_Alex, we’re here. Please tell me what to do? How do we get you out of there?_

Michael was aware the text came off panicky and desperate, but that was what he was feeling, so who cared? His phone stayed silent for an agonizing thirty seconds.

‘Mister Manes.’ Liz said meanwhile. There was a deep sigh and then a voice that made Michael’s skin crawl.

‘Miss Ortego and her attack dog. Sad to see you’re still letting these criminals string you along Valenti.’ Michael truly didn’t understand how a man as nasty, manipulative and cold could be the father of a man like Alex. His kind, brave, magnificent Alex.

_I need to break the encryption on a Steranko. Fuck Michael, I can’t do this._

The desperation in those few small words broke Michael’s heart.

‘He’s making Alex break into a Steranko.’ Michael concluded immediately.

‘A fucking Steranko?’ Maria said, eyes wide as she turned around in her seat. ‘Those things are so secure even _the Pentagon_ thinks they’re overkill.’

_Do you have your earbud on you?_

Michael send back, he was desperate to talk to him.

‘Where is Alex?’ Liz ignored Manes’ dig completely. ‘Did you force him to break into the Rodgers building?’

‘I didn’t force Alex into anything. He’s my son.’ Manes said, as if that had ever stopped him from hurting Alex and putting him in danger.

‘Fuck you.’ Kyle snarled, and for once, Michael completely agreed.

_No. I can’t answer the phone either, there’s security everywhere._

Michael’s stomach clenched, he knew the feeling of that. The feeling of being completely surrounded with no set way out. The feeling of trying to dig yourself out of a hole someone else had thrown you in.

_Do you need a distraction?_

‘Ah yes. The eloquence of a guy that could have gone to medical school, but instead became a killer for hire.’ Manes meanwhile sneered at Kyle. If today didn’t end with Jesse Manes at least breaking a few bones, then what was the point really?

_No! I need advice._

Alex replied almost immediately.

‘Can we just ignore Alex’s psycho father for a bit and focus on how we’re supposed to help him break into a Steranko?’ Maria pressed, and Michael agreed. As much as he wanted to help Manes take a swan dive off a bridge, Alex needed their help.

‘Why don’t we go take a walk, and I’ll show you what I’ve learned.’ Kyle said, low and threatening.

_The only weakness a Steranko really has is the top. That’s the best way to enter._

Michael replied to Alex.

_I’m already inside!_

Came the almost immediate reply.

‘Fuck. Alex is already in the safe, he just needs to get out.’

‘Well, just have him use the door?’ Maria said.

‘It’s not that simple! If you took one of those computers that can beat like 100 people at chess, give it a brain the size of a building, hook it up to military grade infra-red, ultra-sound, and motion sensors, and then give it the personality of a pissed off Rottweiler then you have the Steranko. It has an heuristic algorithm which allows it to adapt to your moves and evolves a strategy based on your response. It learns and it hunts.’ Michael rattled off, his panic rising with the second. ‘It has four levels of response. Level one is passive lock down, two is fire, three is terrorist takeover, and four is hazmat containment breach. If it stays at level one then all you need to do is stay away from doors, cameras, security key cards, and even actual guards. You are safe as long as you stay in, but as soon as you try to get out it’s game over. It’s like a lobster trap. It’s easy to get in, but there is no way out.’ Michael elected to ignore the way his voice cracked.

As Kyle and Manes continued to bicker back and forth, Michael’s mind was racing through all the possibilities.

_Do you have liquid nitrogen?_

He texted Alex.

_No?!_

Alex’s reply was, yet again, immediate. It showed how truly panicked Alex was getting. He was, after all, a hacker. He had broken into some of the most secure networks in the world, but he’d always been able to do it from the safety of his apartment or maybe a van. _Michael_ was the thief.

_Drill?_

He asked.

_Yes, but the ultrasound._

‘Shit, shit, shit.’ Michael cursed. ‘Kyle just knock that asshole the fuck out, I’m trying to figure out a way to break out of a Steranko from outside of the actual Steranko! I don’t need his bullshit in my ears.’ Michael snapped. He was honestly expecting Liz to just break off the conversation or something, but when he heard the unmistakable sound of a fist hitting flesh and the satisfying crunch of bone, Michael’s head snapped up to look out of the window. Kyle had actually punched him. Michael would have laughed, but his phone buzzed in his hand again, drawing his attention away.

_Could I trick the panel into thinking the sensors aren’t being disturbed?_

Alex suggested, there was a teeny tiny bit of hope shining through the words.

 _If anyone can do it, you can. You have to be fast though, these things are_ smart.

Michael typed, his fingers were shaking and he realized it had been a long time since he’d been this invested in another person’s safety. It was a little terrifying. Michael just couldn’t handle the thought of Alex being there all alone, scared, unsure of what to do. And all because that worthless piece of human garbage forced him into something he didn’t want to do. Michael wanted to _ruin_ him. But after he got Alex out of there.

_I know that._

Alex’s reply came and Michael could imagine the exact face he made a he wrote it. The rolling eyes combined with a fond smile he’d try to hide.

_Well, better be quick Manes._

Michael send, the driver’s door opened and Liz hopped into the car.

‘Kyle is making sure Manes doesn’t bother us anymore.’

‘Permanently?’ There really was an inappropriate amount of hope in Michael’s voice.

‘No.’ Liz gave him a stern look from the driver’s seat.

_Stop texting me Guerin, I need to go hack the most advanced safe in the world with a smartphone. Just sit tight, next you hear I’ll either be walking out of the front door, or in jail._

To stop himself, both from replying and throwing up, Michael decided to update the others.

‘So Alex is about to try and hack a Steranko to trick the sensors into thinking they’re not being disturbed. If he’s successful, he’ll be able to walk right out of the door.’ Michael was aware of how his voice sounded. Chocked and terrified.

‘Isn’t that what he did in the judge’s office a few months ago?’ Maria asked. She was trying to reassure him.

‘Yeah, but that system was nothing compared to this.’ Michael said. The car fell into a tense silence, only broken when Kyle entered the car. He looked like he’d sincerely enjoyed his time with Jesse Manes, but also like he was sick with worry over Alex, it was kind of impressive actually.

‘How long should this take?’ Kyle asked.

‘No idea.’ Michael replied and they shared the kind of look they only shared when Alex was involved. As much as him and Kyle liked to bitch at each other and bicker, as much as Michael liked to sneer and snipe at him, make him as uncomfortable as possible and make him look like an idiot whenever the opportunity presented itself, there was one thing they agreed on. It was that Alex Manes had to be protected at all costs. He’d already been through way too much (most of it curtesy of his piece of shit father), and he deserved nothing but happiness, sunshine, rainbows and a fuckton of money, preferably gained illegally from a corrupt gigantic organisation.

About five minutes passed, and no one spoke. But there were no alarms going off in the Rodgers building either, so Michael was going to take that as good news. Liz was staring at the door as if she could will Alex to walk out of there, just by the power of her mind. Hell, she was Liz Ortego, she probably could.

Suddenly, Michael’s phone rang and all of them jumped. He scrambled for the device, not even checking the caller ID before answering.

‘Yeah?’ He said, the hope painfully obvious in his voice.

‘Hey Guerin.’ Alex, for all his bravado, sounded incredibly relieved.

‘Alex.’ Michael was aware he said Alex’s name like a prayer. ‘Where the fuck are you?’ The sigh of relief in the car was audible, all of them releasing most of their tension at once.

‘Coming from the back entrance now, you guys at the front?’ Alex asked.

‘Yeah, get over here.’ Michael was fairly certain his grin had never been bigger than when he saw Alex come jog around the corner of the building, little adventurer backpack on his back, grin evident from all the way across the street. Michael wanted to leap from the car and throw himself into Alex’s arms, but they were trying not to draw attention, so he didn’t, but it took just about all the self-control Michael had left.

‘Okay, I’m going to move over here, I don’t want to be caught between this.’ Kyle grumbled as he bodily shoved Michael into the middle seat, climbing over to the passenger side of the backseat. Michael would have pretended to be annoyed, but he was _this close_ to holding Alex in his arms and he couldn’t give less of a fuck right now.

As Alex yanked open the door and threw himself inside, Michael was right there to catch him. Michael decided pretty early on that there was nothing better then holding Alex Manes. It was like he was made for Michael, he fit perfectly into his arms. Alex released a shuddering breath and then managed to untangle himself from Michael, despite him not wanting to let go.

‘So, did you just hack a Steranko with nothing but a smartphone and your brain?’ Maria asked from the front seat and Michael could have sworn her eyes were a little misty.

‘It’s a pretty awesome brain.’ Alex shrugged and Michael laughed. Liz turned in the driver’s seat and somehow managed to set a hand on Alex’s shoulder. Kyle reached around Michael (rude) to do the same and Maria just launched herself into Michael’s back to stroke her hand past Alex’s cheek. They really were just a jumbled mess of limbs and emotions at this point and Michael hadn’t felt this happy and secure in forever.

‘So humble.’ Michael teased, and Alex rolled his eyes at him. The gesture was so fond and familiar it almost felt like Alex said “I love you”.

‘Let’s go home.’ Alex said, sounding exhausted.

‘Yeah. Let’s.’ Michael agreed. Liz turned around in her seat, Maria went back to sitting like a normal person and Kyle settled to stare out of the window. Michael made sure to buckle in and then he took Alex’s hand. There’d be time for a much closer inspection of what the fuck happened later, but for now, Michael was just happy to have Alex back where he could hold him. Michael wasn’t planning to let go any time soon.  

**Author's Note:**

> Btw, the bit about the Steranko is slightly edited, but mostly borrowed from Leverage, I am not smart enough to come up with that myself.


End file.
